Favorite Days Part II

My other favorite days seem to fall into an odd category-- days that I am lost. See I never get lost by accident, many times I try to get myself as lost as possible so I cannot remember my bearings. In the United States its pretty fun and easy to find your way back (to wherever you started from) since there are people whom speak the same language as you.



Now I had the experience of trying this little stunt in a small town in Greece called "Athens." Two things I found out on this trip: 1. Greeks love to violate your personal space and frequently shout inches away from your face 2. Greeks do not like Americans or dogs.

I did my best to dress European (wore pants and a fairly trendy euro-style shirt) and blend in with the crowds yet I was still sought out by every gypsy, street merchant and weirdo. Keeping in mind both axioms mentioned above, I am not used to people screaming in my grill in another language. If you want that treatment in the US of A you probably have to pay extra for it. Nonetheless, taking a step in and raising your hand like you are about to strike someone is not a good idea-- turns out that strangers on the streets of Athens will help each other out when an irate American is on their turf.

So four hours and 3 sets of wrong directions later, I made my way to the Acropolis. Backing up one step here I would like to say that all of Athens is replete with colonnades, decor, parks, statues, museums, etc. from that period of time we refer to as "B.C." People there do not even realize how crazy it is-- that a 60 foot ionic column that appears to be 4000 years old has advertisements tacked on to it and is sitting only a foot from a major thoroughfare.

So when I made it to the Parthenon atop the great Acropolis, to say I was ecstatic would be an understatement. It is a history buffs dream (much like everything else in the city). I cannot tell you how awe inspiring the views are from there and how insignificant the place makes you feel.

One really amazing thing I took away from the trip is that the moon really gets close when you look at over the Mediterranean at night. It is huge.

Another equally surprising thing about Athens is that there doesn't seem to be much need for pet stores, dog breeders or kennels. Apparently people just walk down the street and take dogs home and make them pets. Lose your dog? No big deal, just go out and find another. What is funny is that Americans are usually alert to a stray dog in their vicinity and won't approach it, which can be interpreted as the dog having the upper hand (regardless if they can smell fear or not). In Greece, stray dogs live in constant fear of humans. People just walk up to dogs and beat them mercilessly-- I mean to the point of long term damage. Seeing it happen in person several times over the period of a work-week was troubling to say the least.

So on my long sojourn home from the acropolis I found a quiet cafe on a corner, ordered my weight in lamb, potatoes and Mythos (Greek Beer); and read a book I brought.

I eventually found my way home in one piece though I do not recommend any type of transportation unless you speak the language or are traveling with someone that does. Taxi drivers will attempt to get you to coax over the amount for a lunar landing and buses are not a good option, especially when you are an American and nobody will let you off at your stop.

Another thing that is weird-- you can't really buy individual drinks at most bars, you need bottle service, though its not like $700 for a bottle of Grey Goose like in NY. Also they give you choices of fruit juices to go in said bottles.

Once I let my guard down (everytime two people have a normal conversation like "how are you John?" "I am good Charles, how is the family?" etc) and realized not every conversation would come to blows as a result of their proximity to one another with accelerating decibel levels, I cooled out. End Transmission.